Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-10-09

! prepared for rain, fog, mud, ana
primitive and rather poor food
and boarding and for pioneer sort
Of life, and who has not some conside-
rable cash to start with or live upon for
awhile, bad better not migrate here
unless some one or some company or
some organization interested in bis
welfare lends him good financial and
moral support, for the saloons and
dance houses have already put in a
strong appearance in the few villages
or towns that have been started, and
his moral courage must be strong, also,
against the surrounding temptations
aud pitfalls that leap into the van 10
nearly all new western towns.
THE SALMON II -HERIEs.
The salmon fisheries that have been
started here arc extremely productive.
Cod and several other kinds OF standard
Gsh are found in great abundance in
these waters, and will IN time enable
our eastern sailors TO abandon the con-
tentious Canadian fishing shores and
HE away hither. They will have
/ schOoueTs or steamers built for them
selves. and they will, many of them,
come 10 more productive region, and
they will thus greatly increase their
source Of income than they now realize
il eastern and quarrclsomo waters.
Along the Columbia river, in Wash
inetcn Territory, | visited two quite
large salmon canneries Even that far
south q large business is done there du-
ring the "salmon run" which com
mences in the spring and lasts until
the carly part OF August. Many
/ streams and inlets are well filled, and
at certain times even packed with
/ salmon, some OF which arc OF enormous
size.
Canning establishments, quitea num-
Der Of which We passed on the way mp,
generally located in little bays, employ
the native male Indians to help in Sc
curing their supply of fish before pack
! ing. The Indians will also 90 out on
| fishing excursions ON their own ac-
count, leaving their huts and cabins,
where they dOmicile during the winter,
and with their families and various
paraphernalia for camping out and fish
ing, will resort TO good fishing-grounds,
| set up al encampment for the few
weeks they will be fishing, and 90 to
work.
When a sufficient number is secured
| TO convey 10 the canneries they send or
take them there from day to day and
get probably from one to three cents
pound fer the same, while the eau
| nories clean, prepare, and pack them in
cans, which are sealed and packed for
market use. When boxed they arc
sent to Puget Sound ports or to San
francisco and other places. When the
| fishing season IS over Indians receive
pay for the work done, or fish caught,
as the case may he, and return to their
| woodon-house villages for The autumn
ard winter, not ncglecting TO provide
| themselves with salmon, for drying and
smoking, while fer fresh meats, and
| furs for wrape, during this period, they
60 out hunting. Yhe furs from the
chase, which they offer for sale, also
bring them quite little income.
You can see that these Flinket In
dams are far from being as helpless and
worthless as the Indian slvages found
in the interior valleys OF our more
southern Territories. In fact | wGs sur
prisod, not only OF their physical ap.
uearancc, but at their shroWdncss and
intelligence.
The Hudsou-Bay Company does not
TOW entirely monOpohze the fur trade,
for these Indians sell a great many furs,
secured by them during the cold sea-
son. to American traders and compa-
MES ,hat transact business down along
the Pacific coast, or even in the East.
Agricultural pursuits have not as yet
been attempted to any extent, but no
doubt when the interior OF the country
is opened by roads, and eventually by
railroads. large tracts OF very produc-
tive valley land will come into the mar
bet, and especially along the Yukon,
Stikeen, and other rivers. But time
alone must suffice for this develop
ment. Little garden patches OF splen-
did vegetables already show what can
he done in this direction, and, while
thcy NAV not become like the abun-
dantly fruitful gardens OF the Southern
California valleys, still they will do
onite rs well as our New England
States or Nova Scotia or Prince Ed
wards island farmers There is so
much moisture and spring like weather
in SontheIn Alaska that vegetation
fairly leaps when it does begin to grow,
and this impulse continues with such
rapiditv that it can we'll mature before
the aufuinnal frosts come in with their
mining blasts. / am satisfied that
when The people come to these distant
shores in GREAT numbers the soil will
produce ali the animal and vegetable
diet required for the inhowing popula-
ton for ages to come.
OTHER MATTERS.
This statement / am not making IN
obserytdly or at hazard. Other oo-
servers are now visiting this region,
and others that have preceded accord
in This matter, while quite a eoodly
number more of visitors are yet 70 ioi-
low even this season to carry away Il
Joyous report OF this embryonic coua--
trv. Three senators, governor, and
a goodly number OF scientific, repre-
sentative, and influential people are IN
the present excursion party. Already
steps have been taken practically to
send forward some mechanical appara-
tus for the improvement of the techni-
cal school at Sitka and for the advance
ment of the native population. Other
measures viii soon be inaugurated, anu
| as these people are apt scholars lew
wears more, with the start they already
, have had in the past few years, will give
astonishing results for the ears ana
eyes of the other part Of our great
American nation. :,
Although we have now entered the
month OF August, the temperature Is
equitable, and will remain so until the
end of next month, and about as 1t has
been the previous two months, and al
though fogs sometimes spoil the morn
ing and evening views, they do not
seem TO be unhealthy. have not been
, annoyed by mosquitoes, gnat:s, and
, other pestiferous bugs since leaving
q Victoria, b. G.
OH / almost forgot we were in the